the Fifth Age of Ert

The Party fought their way deep into the Goblin King’s Lair, defeating more of his champions. Then they were contacted by a Warlock telling the party to leave. The Party made some demands and the Warlock told them to return to the Lake and awake the King’s answers. So that is what the party did.

But they grew impatient waiting for the King’s reply (1 day) so they turned back. They discovered an ambush being created by Warlock using giant spiders. And while they were surprised, the ambush failed. The Warlock fled into the darkness.

After more exploring, they came upon the Goblin Royal Guards. They engaged them but in a single round, they badly wounded half of them. The Royal Guards fled.

The Party pressed forward until they reached the throne room of the Goblin King. By this point the goblins were demoralized. The thousand Ice Goblins parted before the Party as they made their way to the King.

Using the Warlock as an inept interpreter, they tried to make their demands to the King. Frustrated the King brought forth his collection of Magical Weapons, five enchanted items. He hoped the Party would point to the weapon they wanted. They Party accepted them as tribute and agreed to leave taking all the weapons.

Outside, the made their way to the Temple of the Sun. They were quickly caught by the pair of Giants that brought them to the Dungeon. They demanded the Spear of Ullag. The Party gave it to them. The Giant then claim the Spear for himself and tried to kill the Party. It was a tough fight, but the Party killed the two Giants and their Wargs.

They then made their way into the deep arctic that was the final stretch of their journey. The winds made the temperature in the deep negatives and they wondered if they could make it up the mountain. Once they reached the Temple of the Sun, it was warmer.

They made their way inside. They were greeted by the ancient Orc Blue Song… and that is where we left it for the night.

The Party made their way up to Tower into a house on ground level. After getting pass the the centipedes, they found a second level bedroom. This room was uninfected with bugs and they camped here to heal. The found the bed to be magical in nature and healing went a little faster.

They also found more jugs of potions outside. This house/tower was on the mountain next to where they were going. They could see the Stairs of the Moon in the distance. But had no way of getting there. Plus they saw a giant, monstrous Centipede on the outside.

After exploring and looting, they went back into the Goblin Tunnels. There they had another massive battle with goblins. The Artificer was almost captured. The Magician was knocked unconscious. They also had to fight some Snow Lions.

After that fight, they found the goblins had retreated again. They explored the abandoned tunnels finding different caves where the goblins live. They also found a little of young snow lions they goblin domesticate. The Squire took one to raise for himself.

We ended the night with the party going deeper into the Ice Goblin’s King domain.

The Artificer and Squired leveled to fourth. The Magician leveled to second.

The party (Arms Master, Squire, Artificer and Magician) all rested on the far side of the room away from the animated Armored Skeletons. It was two days of paranoid, boring resting until the Squire was conscious again.

They explored the room finding a way into an ancient dungeon. Prisoners were held and torched here long ago. Many of them died in their cells leaving behind skeletons. The room was haunted by a magical fear and the party quickly moved on.

They wanted to explore past the Armored Skeletons, but were afraid of activating them again while they were so badly wounded. But they decided to do so again. The activated the Skeletons. The Arms Master distracted them, while the others explored. They found many rooms and chambers but it was a dead-end. Except for a locked door.

They ended up needing to fight the Skeletons but they choose a tactical spot where they could bottleneck the encounter. They destroyed them rather quickly.

Then they went to work on the stone around the locked door. It seemed to be an addition and wasn’t titan made. Using the Artificer’s Soften Stone Ritual and the Squire’s Crowbar, they were able to detach the door.

It lead to the basement of a Wizard’s Tower. Inside the basement was a collection of worthless things. They made it though the trap door into a storage room also of worthless things. The next door was closed and it lead to a room full of giant Centipedes.

The party fought them and didn’t do so well against the venomous bugs. They manage to kill them but both the Squire and Arm’s Master were infected by the poison. The Squire fell unconscious (again!) and the Arm’s Master felt he didn’t have a lot of time. Hours maybe days.

In the next room it was filled with hundreds of baby Centipedes. Not a direct threat to the party but still venomous.

It was an Alchemist Workshop. In it they found several jugs of finished potions: Healing, Strength, Balance, Health and Poison. The Healing helped the Poisoned Heroes slightly but didn’t cure their infection. And the Magician, sampling all the potions was affected by the deadly poison.

He manage to stop the internal bleeding but he is suffering too from the poison he drank. He also found several Magician items including a Wizard’s Magical Suit.

We rapped the night with both the Arm’s Master and Squire unsure of their fate.

In Montreal they picked up the Magician. He is a divine Sorcerer hunter from France who had a vision of the coming of Grom. He is convinced that he is to be apart of Grom’s demise and sailed half way around the world to join the fight.

The Party traveled south to a small unnamed trading outpost at the edge of Canada. There they learned that they had to pass though the lands controlled by the deformed Giant, Ullag. They decided to buy some snow dogs and made their way to their goal.

Just to point out a few things on how they prepared. First they didn’t gather much information at the trading post about Ullag. They knew Ullag guarded his lands like a Warlord. But they didn’t ask if Ullag can be traded with. They didn’t try to hire local scouts to take them though his lands. They didn’t try to figure out how the Orcs passed though his lands. Nope. They just venture forward.

So they get to Ullag’s lands and quickly get found by two giants. The giants took the party prisoner without a fight and lead them into the heart of Ullag’s frosty realm.

Ullag is a large deformed giant with over a dozen of his kin and large wolves. Ullag was angry that the party did not come with Tribute to pay to the Terrible Warlord of the South. He showed the party his killing field, where he dumps the bodies of his enemies. He then showed the Party the tribute paid by the Orcs several years back: a dozen fine Orc dogs. He then returned the party to their prison (an open empty field) while he decided how to kill them.

Then Ullag had an idea. The mountains to the west there is an ancient mines of the Mayan Earth god Ah Uuc Ticab. Four hundred years ago, Ice Goblins squatted these massive tunnels. The Goblins have been so successful there, they have spilled out of the mines and now invade his lands.

Ullag found and killed hundreds of Goblins. The Goblin King in return has stolen his prize spear. Ullag has decided the send the party on a suicide mission to find his spear. With no promise of being spared upon success. He told them he would just “think about not killing them if they succeed”.

Having no choice in the matter, they were taken to a “backdoor” into the Goblin Kingdom. Upon arrival, hundreds of Goblins arrived to fight the party. Our four Heroes with no escape path, fought the Goblins. They killed over forty of the small devilish beast until they fled.

The Party was covered with the blood of the Ice Goblins, that sapped way their strength with a chill. Needing to escape the area, they venture deeper into the dungeon. After exploring a few rooms that the Goblins have retreated from they found a door that seem untouched by the Goblins. They entered.

It was a massive shrine deicated to an unknown Mayan woman. Exploring the shrine awoke ancient Animated Guards that attacked the Party. Armored Skeletons armed with Magical Weapons attacked. First they dropped the Squire and then the Artificer. Meanwhile, the cries of the dead drove the Arms Master into a temporary berserker madness.

Only the Magician stood between the fallen being sacrificed to an Iron Maiden. He managed to save the Squire and by then the Arms Master returned from his madness. They defeated the Skeleton Knights.

We ended the night the party retreating to one side of the room as the remaining Skeletons retreated to their side of the room…

The Longbowman was held by the Orc Warlock WarPig. WarPig told the Longbowman that if they were to deliver the Daughters of Red Cloud to him that he would reward them with gold. He then released the Ranger to deliver his message to the Arms Master.

From there the party made their way into the Lair of Magnamar. They made their way to the Tomb of the Wraith and found several magical items they had forgotten to take the time before.

Then the Squire and Longbowman dashed pass the Earth Elemental into a part of the dungeon avoid before. The Longbowman was knocked unconscious but survived the Elemental. The Squire found himself in a large temple room with nothing of value expect for a tiny amount of Magical Glowing Water.

He sipped some of the water and after a painful few minutes when all the toxins in his body came out of him, he felt wonderful. Amazing really, healthier even a little younger. He gave the water to the Longbowman who had the same experience but was also healed of most of the damage he had taken.

Then the Arms Master decided to join them but when he tried to pass the Earth Elemental he was crushed. A private and the Medic rushed to save him. They did but the Medic was crushed in the process.

The Longbowman and Squire returned (the Elemental now ignored them). They gave the Arms Master some of the water and he too was revived. They then talked the Artificer into drinking the water. They also gave some to the Duelist.

From there they crossed the bridge that exposed them to Magnamar. Most of the party crossed but one of the Privates fell. While trying to recuse them, Magnamar splashed lava at them. The Party avoided it but the Private died.

The Squire felt that Magnamar personally noticed him. He wasn’t sure why or what this meant. More of the Soldiers cross with another dying as Magnamar killed him like a person annoyed by flies buzzing around him.

There were more dangers in the dungeon but the party avoided them all. They then came upon a Balcony they missed the time before. From this vantage point, they had a clear view of Magnamar and the area.

The Longbowman decided to shoot an arrow at Magnamar in hopes he would think the Orcs were disturbing him. He did a brilliant shot wounding the ancient destroyer. A beast so great and powerful that even the Titan feared it. A power from a different age that survived the Angels trying to kill it.

He then ducked down out of sight on the balcony much like a school boy playing a prank. Then a wave of lava overcame the Balcony. He was instantly near death. The Squire risked his life to save him. And he did so. But the surviving Longbowman was crippled, dying. An open wound unable to get the medical attention. His situation seem hopeless. With his last breath he asked the Party for a quick death. The Arms Master shot him.

The Party then left behind their few surviving Privates. They left the Dungeon only to find the once empty courtyard now full of Orcs. They waited a couple of days, then passed though the Orc camp at night.

They found the Map Room guarded by some Scorpion-Men (more like Silverfish-Men). Unable to find an easy path round them, they attack and quickly killed them. They then found the location on the map of where the Shrine of the Daughter of the Sun.

They then left. They got by the Orcs and most of the dangers, except Magnamar killed one more soldier as he tried to pass over the bridge. Because he is kind of a dick that way.

We ended the night when the Party returned to Montreal. While they still had plenty of supplies, several of them needed serious repairs because of Lava damage.

The Party spent more time trying to figure out how to find Black Kettle though Angry Cricket. It was another two months of wandering around her area until they found her.

Black Kettle was nearby and only had one small clue for them. That he believed they were with the “Mayan daughter of the Sun”. But that didn’t mean anything to anyone.

They reported back to the Arms Master with their clue in Kansas City. Research was made and they leaned of an Arctic Temple to a Mayan Titan that could be the place. It was far to the south on the highest peak of the continent.

They made preparations to travel there. But first they wanted to return to the Temple of Itzumna where there is said to be a Mayan Map Room. There they hope to get details on how to find it (right now they have a general idea of where it is located).

On the way to the temple, in the Mohawk territory, they were ambushed by War Pig. The Party defeated the Orcs, but the Longbowman was captured when he scouted immediately after the fight.

We ended with the Longbowman putting down his arms unknown of what is fate will be.

The Party arrived in Knoxville then railed to Louisville. After debriefing the Army Command, the Arms Master was promoted to Major. He was given the mission to support the efforts in Nevada against the Orcs. He was to form a company and make way to Fort Reno.

The rest of the party was given two weeks leave. The Artificer requested extra time so she could go to New York to sell her Angelic Sword. She got a lot of gold for the item while selling it to a museum for it’s historical value. She then made way back to Tenseness with plans of joining the Arms Master new Company in Fort Reno. She was given the Rank of Sergent.

The Longbowman didn’t have many plans. He sold and bought some items. He then made his way to Fort Reno to join the Arm’s Master. He was commissioned and given the Rank of Lieutenant.

The Squire was also offered a place in the new Company but he decided to follow his families tradition and joined a new Calvary unit forming in Fort Albuquerque. He was commissioned and given the Rank of Lieutenant in the Kentucky Calvary.

Meanwhile, shortly after arriving the Duelist was arrested for the Murder of Jay Wilcox in Canada. This was trumped up charges by Doctor Bodo (the Bounty Hunter). Nothing more than a legal ruse to get the Duelist into Canada. Either for extradition or murder. He was held in a Military Jail waiting extradition to Canada. He was assigned a Military Lawyer, Warren Officer Winston Beauregard.

Winston spend no time at all in finding out how much money his new Client had and proceeded to delay the extradition order. He contacted the Duelist’s family for funds and was quickly meet (before the letter could even arrive in the Confederacy) by the Lawyer Lue.

Lue is a Lawyers of the politically powerful James Marshal of the Confederacy. Unable to directly practice law in the States, he advised the young Lawyer Winston that there were powerful Political forces working behind the scene against the Duelist. They were running out of legal delays and needed to find a way to save the Duelist.

Officer Winston made the trip out to Fort Reno to speak to the Arms Master for any compelling reason that could save his friend from extradition (and to expected death). The Arms Master talked to his new commander, General Ways and found a way out.

The Duelist was promoted to the rank of Captain. He was then given a vital mission. He was to travel to the Shaw-nee territory and look for Angry Cricket, Black Kettle or any other Orc that can give him information about the Daughters of Red Cloud.

The Arms Master had been lobbying the General for this mission. He believes securing the Daughters is important for the War Effort. That the Daughters of Red Cloud are the only Orc maidens capable of providing heirs to the new Orc Giant, Grom. One Orc Giant has united the Orcs and is causing all of this trouble, imagine generation of Orc Giants.

The Arms Master decided that only the Duelist’s with his personal experience in the field was the only officer who could lead this mission. National security trumps politics for High Command.

The Duelist was released from jail and given his order. He immediately had the Lawyer draft papers to have all the Party members placed under his command. He also got six Tennessee Riflemen under his command. And they headed out to the Kansas Territory.

They decided to seek out Screaming Horse, current leader of the Shaw-nee to help them find the Orc’s they seek. They had forgotten that the Artificer had dishonored him in the past by taking his Axe or they hoped the Orc had forgotten it by now.

They came upon an Orc Hunting Party lead by Running Rabbit who agreed to take them to Screaming Horse’s camp. At the first stop, the Artificer ran into one of the six Orcs that was with Screaming Horse at the Sacred Grounds. The Artificer is known as Bob the Liar and Thief, by the Orcs that were with Screaming Horse when she stole the Axe.

The Orc attacked the her over the dishonored Axe. She won the duel, but it was a sign of what to come.

Running Rabbit brought them to the Summer Camps of the Shaw-nee. Screaming Horse wasn’t there, but another Orc recognized Bob the Liar and Thief. This time brought a mob of ten Orcs to confronted the Party.

The Duelist tried to reason with the Orcs, but when it comes to Honor Orcs are not reasonable. It started out as a Skirmish with a few Orcs trying to kill the Artificer and Duelist but then it turned into a major battle.

The Duelist was knock unconscious and dying while the party fought the Orcs. He was saved, but he was minutes away from death. Five of the Soldiers died with most of the Orcs. The Party barely won.

We ended the evening with other Shaw-nee Orcs in the camp taking away the dead. They are in the middle of Shaw-nee territory and now realize that Screaming Horse is returning. And when it comes to Orcs, there is no reasoning your way out of Honor. Bob the Liar and Thief must die for them to continue…

The Party was considering the offer of the Warlocks of gold to leave them alone. Meanwhile the Longbowman was scouting out the area. He saw that the Warlocks were readying an ambush on the Party. Unable to reach the party in time, he planned his own ambush.

Fortunately for the party, the Warlocks failed to surprise them. They faced a massive monster, modified by the Warlock Magic. They quickly killed the beast and turn the fight against the Warlocks. Both the Padre and Squire suffered massive wounds. The Padre nearly died.

The Squire looked after the Padre, as the Party pushed their advantage against the Warlocks. There was another batter. There was a couple of close calls, but in the end the Party defeated the Warlocks. Only one of them escaped.

They looted the Plantation finding several nice items. From there they returned to the Monsters they made the deal with. They were provided with canoes and have a clear path to Kansas City.

This night had the biggest spread so far with both the Padre and Squire sitting out of the last night. Also the Padre was still unconscious when the decision to burn the Warlock items were made, excluding him from a nice bonus. Because of that both of them did not level this week but are in good shape to level next time.

Only the Artificer leveled this week. And she had to borrow to do so.

Lastly, the Arms Master is an experience machine. He has gotten the most experience each week but one. And with his Captain bonus (about +15 each week) and his Dominance of most fights, he is on the fast track to level 4. He also has Studious that give free experience for buying skills, so that isn’t even slowing him down.

At his current pace he will be level 4 in three session while the Duelist who is next behind him might take 5-7 nights!